Biography
Though scarcely remembered in Vancouver, BC's broader music landscape, the One Way Street styled themselves as folk-rockers. Their only release, the 1966 Vantown 45 coupling "Listen To Me" with "Tears," actually drew greater inspiration from the Seeds than from the Vejtables. Silky-voiced Rick Wanzel handled vocals, joined by Doug Fairbairn on guitar, Greg Johnston on bass, Bob Hirtle on keyboards, and Jim Warren on percussion. The group tracked the single at Vancouver Sound Recording Studio in less than an hour; it subsequently reached number 16 on local charts. The same record also appeared on the Paula label in Dallas, Texas, where it registered on regional playlists—an occurrence that presumably prompted Eva Records to feature both sides on Louisiana Punk, Vol. 2. "Tears" stands out for its Twilight Zone guitar lines, which evoke the Marketts' "Out Of Limits." By contrast, "Listen To Me" delivers serviceable yet derivative psychedelia. Following the One Way Street's dissolution in 1968, Wanzel relocated to Toronto, adopted the name Rick Livingstone, and issued the album Livingstone, I Presume. Guitarist Fairbairn later joined the Ambleside Blues Band. Both tracks from the original single resurfaced on the Vancouver Record Collectors' Association's History Of Vancouver Rock, Volume 4 (VRCA 004, 1991).
Albums